Iranian

Monday April 13, 2026 A ship at the Strait of Hormuz Oil markets surged back above $100 a barrel on Monday as trading resumed in Asia, after US-Iran talks collapsed without a fresh agreement and President Donald Trump said he would blockade Iranian ports. Brent crude, the global benchmark, climbed 7.3% to $102.30 (£76.32), while US West Texas Intermediate rose 8.7% to $104.94. The breakdown in weekend negotiations has deepened fears that the worldwide energy crunch could worsen. Crude had fallen sharply below $100 last…

Monday April 13, 2026 The United States military said on Sunday it would start blocking all Iranian ports on Monday, escalating its campaign against Tehran after marathon peace talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement. In a late-evening statement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the blockade would cover “all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports” beginning at 10am Eastern Time (14:00 GMT) on April 13. The order, it said, applies to “vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal…

Will XavierTuesday April 7, 2026 An Iranian-flagged dhow that had been seized off Somalia’s coast has been freed after sustained pressure from EU naval forces, with the vessel now back under control and its crew accounted for, Operation Atalanta said. The Alwaseemi was hijacked on March 24, roughly 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, according to the mission. A warship and other Atalanta assets kept the fishing boat under close watch in the days that followed. "The pirates left the fishing vessel as a result of the…

President Donald Trump sharply escalated his rhetoric on Iran, declaring the US “hasn't even started destroying what's left in Iran” as governments around the world scrambled to restore crucial energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly five weeks after the conflict erupted with a joint US-Israeli aerial assault, the war in Iran is still sending shockwaves across the region and through global financial markets, intensifying pressure on Mr Trump to secure a rapid end to the fighting. In recent days, Mr Trump has…

The war’s opening blows decapitated much of Iran’s ruling establishment, killing supreme leader Ali Khamenei and sweeping away a senior layer of the Islamic republic’s political and military command in US-Israeli strikes. US President Donald Trump said yesterday the conflict had delivered "regime change" and that "we're dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before". Yet several prominent officials remain alive, and the Islamic republic has moved quickly to fill vacant posts while continuing its fight…

Trump floats 'taking control of Iranian oil,' says Tehran eager for deal US President Donald Trump asserted that Iran’s leaders are “begging to make a deal” to halt the ongoing Middle East war, pushing back on suggestions that Washington is chasing talks. He claimed Tehran signaled its willingness to negotiate by allowing 10 oil tankers to move through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, describing the passage as a…

Thursday March 26, 2026 A view of Iran's Kharg Island, which hosts the country’s main crude export terminal, and which some believe could be a target for occupation by US forces, on March 2, 2026 Iran’s parliamentary speaker has issued a stark warning from Tehran, saying intelligence indicates that “Iran’s enemies” are preparing to seize an Iranian island with backing from an unidentified country elsewhere in the region. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that any move to occupy Iranian territory would trigger a…

Airstrikes flew between Israel and Iran as Tehran’s unified military command dismissed President Donald Trump’s assertion that Washington was negotiating an end to the conflict, bluntly saying the United States was “negotiating with itself.” The rebuke — issued by the joint command dominated by the hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — came amid reports that the US had transmitted a 15-point proposal to Tehran for discussion. “Has the level of your inner struggle reached the stage of you (Trump) negotiating with…

Trump delays planned strikes on Iranian power grid for five days WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said Monday he has directed the US military to hold off for five days on planned strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure, citing “good and productive conversations” with Tehran. “I am pleased to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran, have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the…

A sudden policy shift from Washington is sending ripples through global energy markets, as the Trump administration moves to counter surging oil prices amid escalating conflict with Iran. The United States on Friday issued a 30-day waiver allowing the purchase of Iranian oil at sea, a step officials say is aimed at easing supply pressures driven by nearly three weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measure could release roughly 140 million barrels of oil into global…